Chapter 8
Cerban
Rainse waited for me outside. News had travelled fast. He took one look at me, then clasped me in a tight embrace.
"Brother. How is she?"
"Weak, but she will live. They might have to transport her to a different island if her condition worsens."
He let out a long breath, the tension in his shoulders easing a fraction. “Then you did what needed to be done.”
“Yes.” My jaw tightened. “But the humans will not see it that way.”
He gave me a crooked smile, the kind he reserved for when he thought rules were meant to be broken. “Pam already knows?”
“She will,” I said grimly. “Paul saw everything. He was in the room when I refused to leave.”
Rainse’s expression sobered. “Then you’ll have to answer for it. She won’t forgive another breach so soon after Kelon’s disgrace.”
The mention of our former captain soured the water in my veins. Kelon’s crime had stained all of us, and now my actions would only deepen the mistrust. But the thought of leaving Maelis trapped in that cave, of ignoring her heartbeat pounding against the stone… impossible.
"Would you have acted any differently?" I asked my clutch-brother.
He thought for a moment. "I don't think so, no.
Maybe I would have tried to stop her from going into the water in the first place, but it was hard to predict just how hard the storm would hit the island.
And she is an adult. She bears responsibility for her own actions.
But I don't have all the information. All I've been told is that you made yourself suspicious by asking about the diving instructor before appearing with her hours later, both of you in bad shape. Are you alright? Are you injured?"
"I am fine. A few scrapes, nothing to worry about. And I could sleep for an entire sunpass."
"I doubt Paul and Pam will let you sleep that long." He chuckled.
And he was right. We hadn’t even reached the accommodations when one of the finmen intercepted us, breathless. “You’re wanted in the comms room. Now.”
The words churned my stomach. Of course.
Rainse came with me, and together we entered the small, brightly lit chamber in the heart of the building assigned to the finfolk.
A holo-screen dominated the far wall. Paul stood stiffly to one side, arms crossed.
The connection was already active. Pam’s face filled the projection, every line sharpened by her fury.
Fionn and Elise hovered in the background, silent but watching.
I wasn't sure if it was lucky or unlucky for them to be with Pam right in this moment.
My clutch-brother gave me a small nod, barely noticeable.
I knew he'd be on my side, and that was a relief beyond bounds.
The humans respected him as the first finman to find a human mate.
“There you are,” Pam said, her voice clipped. “Explain yourself.”
I squared my shoulders, ready for the fight that was sure to come. “A human was drowning. I saved her.”
“That is not the issue,” Paul snapped, but Pam silenced him with a raised hand.
“The rules exist for a reason, Cerban. After Kelon, every mistake is magnified. And now I hear you defied Paul, carried a staff member into the resort in front of witnesses, and refused to leave her bedside. Do you understand what this looks like?”
“I understand she would be dead if I had obeyed your rules,” I said, each word heavy as stone.
Pam’s lips thinned. She opened her mouth, but Fionn spoke first, his voice calm but carrying the weight of command.
“Pam. Paul.” His gaze cut to each of them in turn before landing on me. “Cerban is my brother. I know his heart. He does not act rashly. If he chose to intervene, it is because there was no other choice.”
Pam’s brow furrowed. “That doesn’t excuse–”
“It does not excuse,” Fionn interrupted gently, respectful but firm. “But it explains. And it shows that he put the life of a human above his own safety and above our reputation. That is what we promised when we came here. To be better than Kelon. To earn trust.”
Paul shifted uncomfortably but didn’t speak. Elise leaned forward into the projection. “I was there when Kelon almost ruined everything. If Cerban had left Maelis to drown, what would that have proven? That we care more about rules than lives? That would have destroyed trust far worse.”
Pam exhaled sharply, the sound distorting in the holo-feed. “Be that as it may, rules are not suggestions. Cerban, you are confined to quarters until further notice. No contact with staff. If you break that order, you will be recalled to Finfolkaheem. Is that clear?”
Technically, she had no authority over me and the finmen - and yet she did.
She had close contact with the Intergalactic Authority.
They could revoke our licence to be on this planet at any moment.
And if Pam decided to remove us from her dating agency.
.. it would affect not just me, but all the other finmen who'd travelled with me on the Tidebound, my clutch-brothers included.
I inclined my head, though inside, the vow I’d made on the beach burned hotter than ever. “Clear.”
Fionn’s eyes met mine through the projection, steady and strong. He gave the smallest of smiles – silent solidarity, even as he upheld the rules.
Pam ended the call, the holo-screen dissolving into darkness. Paul turned on his heel without a word and left the room.
Rainse muttered a curse under his breath. He leaned against the wall, arms folded, studying me with a mix of amusement and concern.
"That went well."
I wasn't sure if he was joking. I let out a growl, low and sharp. “I would do it again. A hundred times.”
He smirked faintly. “I know. That’s why I’m standing here instead of dragging you back to your quarters by the greenskin like Pam would prefer.” He straightened, stepping closer. “Tell me, though. Why this human? What is she to you?"
I hesitated, the words heavy in my throat. But hiding them was useless. He already knew.
“She is mine,” I said.
Rainse’s brows rose, but he didn’t laugh. He just studied me, sharp-eyed. “You’re certain?”
“Yes.” The memory of her heartbeat echoed in my chest, calling to mine with a rhythm older than the tides. “When I heard her in that cave, it was not duty that drove me. It was need. As if the sea itself would not let me live if I let her die.”
"And your greenskin...?"
"Tense as my cock when I'm close to her."
Rainse laughed. "Smooth as always, brother. But she hasn't shown up as a match for you. You're in the database. It would have come up in the latest results."
"Not if Maelis isn't in the database. She's staff on the island. She is not one of the females sent here to find a mate."
"I guess we can't ask Pam just now to confirm."
I chuckled despite myself. "No, I doubt that would be received well."
"They will want proof. Paul, Pam and the others won't let you anywhere near her unless you can prove that she's your mate."
I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms. “Rules. Always rules. Yet the rules would have left her dead at the bottom of the sea. What good are they, if they deny what is true?”
Rainse clapped a hand to my shoulder. “Easy. I’m on your side. But if you mean to fight for her, you’d better be ready. Because proving she’s your mate when the agency says otherwise…” He shook his head, lips quirking. “That’s going to make the storm outside look like a gentle wave.”
I met his gaze, steady. “Then let it come. No force in this world or the next will keep me from her.”
Rainse’s smirk faded into something more serious. He nodded once. “Then we’ll face it together. Tell me how I can help."